Return
by Al-Saiduq
Summary: It has been two months without a word from him, and Yamato wonders if he's really dead at this point. He's not sure what's more terrifying; the fact that Hiro could be dead, or that he's this concerned over another person. Post-Daichi route. Several different endings.
1. Beginning with

_A/N: What was I supposed to be doing again...? Oh right. _

_So I started another fandom... and I'm hooked on Shin Megami Tensei games, but what can I say? I got caught in the Persona 4 hype, and now Devil Survivor 2 just takes up more time than it should. So...is the protag supposed to be "Hiro" or "Hibiki" now?_

_Here's one of the pairings from Hiro's harem (- w -)/ Post-Daichi route_

_Posted on AO3 too (finally made an account on there...)_

_Devil Survivor 2 © Atlus_

* * *

Yamato glares down at his paperwork with the crease between his brow furrowing more and more as the clock continued ticking. His writing was harsher than usual, even nearly ripping some important forms, and his sitting posture was more slumped compared to his upright posture.

It did not go unnoticed by any JPs member that had the misfortune to enter his office for any reason and succumb to the darker aura their young chief emitted.

A week after his suddenly darkened, Otome and Makoto were the first to noticed, but Makoto was the first to confront him.

"Sir, if I may ask..." Makoto started hesitantly.

"What is it, Sako?" He asked her bitterly, causing her to flinch at the slight edge in his tone.

"Is there an-..." She paused for a second, thinking of a better way to voice her concern. "...a problem, sir?"

He seemed to have taken that moment to regain his composure. "I am fine. Return to your work, Sako." He directed his attention at the corner behind Makoto. "And you as well, Yanagiya."

That was two months ago and his mood seemed to have worsen since that time, but it only took two weeks for Otome and Fumi—and a little bit of Makoto—to realize what was eating away at their chief:

Hiro was gone for a mission with Daichi and Jungo as volunteers, and had not contacted them since.

Sure, Yamato could keep his head cool for the first few weeks and stay calm when Hiro did not stay in touch with him for some time, but two months and not a word from him was obviously driving him insane.

A year ago, when they fought along side each other, and before becoming enemies, Yamato would've been disappointed that someone he regarded as capable as Hiro had perished in battle, but it was different now that they had established a relationship. He actually, dare he say it, cares for him.

* * *

"Chief."

Currently, Yamato was signing paper work for some JPs related incident concerning some demon in some area of Japan. When Otome had walked into the office, unannounced, Yamato spared her a glance from his paper work and would've returned his attention back to the meaningless sheets of paper, but Otome's expression appeared urgent.

"Is there a problem, Yanagiya?"

She was panting, as if using all of her stamina to run to his office to report some important news, while leaning against the door frame of his office door.

"We... Daichi and Jungo... they came back." And right there, she collapsed on the floor of his office from exhaustion. Taking in another breath, she continued her report, "Jungo returned with a fractured arm and minor injuries... While dragging Daichi who is unconcious. He suffered a concussion and several burns, they're both malnourished, and..."

Yamato did not hear a word of it except 'return', but something was off.

"And Hiro?" He asked with a slight hesitation in his voice, not that Otome noticed in her state.

"...He didn't come back with them. They were in the middle of asking Jungo questions about his whereabouts when I rushed ov-"

* * *

Yamato was by Jungo's bedside within the next minute to hear the news, leaving Otome to catch her breath.

"Torii." Jungo's eyes flicked open and he looked up at the young chief by his bedside. He looked like a mess with bandages covering large portions of his body. The wounds he sustained were obviously too much for even Diarahan to handle. His expression was unreadable, but Yamato didn't give a damn.

"Where is Hiro?"

"Man, you really get to the point, huh?" Daichi uttered weakly from the bed besides Jungo. He regained some consciousness back, and the numbing agent Otome injected into him was doing well, if not for the dull ache on everywhere. Yamato turned to him and saw his condition no better than Jungo's own. He sustained similar injuries as Jungo, but with a broken leg instead and burned eyebrows. If the situation was not so dire, it would be humourous.

"Shijima. I have no time for your games." He was growing irritated with every passing second of not knowing Hiro's whereabouts. "Where is Hiro?"

Upon the realization that Hiro was not with them, Daichi's eyes widened and looked over to Jungo. Yamato mirrored his latter action, but with a stern look. Jungo was clearly uncomfortable with being stared down.

"He... told me to take you back and call for help. He was better off than us since he equipped Rejuuvenate, and I transferred Oumitsunu to him before we left." He took a second to recall the situation at hand.

"_Daichi!" Hiro called out to his best friend as he endured a critical hit from the demon. _

"_I'm... fine." He gasped after the speared grazed his sides. "or not." _

"_Shit shit...!" Hiro looked around after taking out a persistent party leader, the rest of it's party disappearing afterward. Daichi was already on his knees from his recent hit and Jungo was bleeding from the arm. They had a few demons left to exterminate in the deserted shrine in an eerie forest-like area, but it seemed there would be no escape from this living hell they were enduring. They were out of range from JPs calling signal and escape from this maze of a forest. They had been fighting for weeks, probably months at this point, and they were barely starting to see an end to this madness, that is, until a stronger looking demon showed up; it was one of the final two they had to finish off, but at the rate they were going, and considering how much stronger this one was, it seemed almost impossible to finish it off. _

"_Shit...Ah!" A plan popped into Hiro's mind. He looked over at Jungo and Daichi again and considered their chances of making it out with all three of them alive. '_I guess that leaves me no choice..._' _

_Hiro summoned an Avian. "Anzu...I want you to take Daichi and Jungo as far as you can from here. Do __**not**__ fight, just avoid any demons as much as you can and get away from here." The demon bird nodded it's head wordlessly and flew towards the two and swiped them up._

"_Wait! Hiro! What are you doing!" Daichi cried out with the last of his strength; his consciousness was slipping._

"_Get as far as you can, and when you get ANY signal, call JPs! Anzu, remember my instructions!" He shouted from his position and cast Agi on the stronger opponent as it tried to cast a curse on his friends. "Over here, asshole!" _

"So, there are JPs people searching for him right now?" Yamato asked after Jungo explained what had happened. Some part of him had hoped that they reached Hiro in time, and another part of him continued chanting "He's dead, he's dead...".

"I'd think so. I called the minute I got a bar on my phone," Jungo looked up at the ceiling to avoid eye contact with Yamato, and under his breath, he muttered, "but that thing was capable of casting a stone ailment with it's hits..."

Yamato's heart stopped for a moment. "Wha-"

"Ah...! Don't worry." Daichi tried sitting up in his condition to give Yamato reassuring pat on the back, but his efforts were in vein. "I'm pretty sure he equipped Null-phys before we began fighting that thing." He had added a mental '_I hope_.'

"I'll...need a moment." Yamato took that moment to walk out of their room and stand outside their door.

He inhaled a deep breath of air and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to maintain his composure. Thirty seconds passed and he exhaled.

"Fool... You promised you'd be back to supposedly drag me out for dinner." He murmured under his breath. His eyes were strained from glaring more than usual and from the sleep he had been deprived of lately. There was no use crying because he was Yamato, and there was still a chance Hiro could be alive. "...Don't make me wait any longer."


	2. A Bitter End

_A/N: I don't know where I'm going with this fic. I'm an impulse writer. _

_Devil Survivor 2 © Atlus_

* * *

Yamato was a foot out the JPs headquarters to search for Hiro, dead or alive. His work as the chief of Japan's supernatural defense group held him back, however. He knew there was no time to engage in personal matters, and to pay special attention to another would make him seem like an incompetent leader.

At this point, Jungo and Daichi had healed a considerable amount, but were still bed-ridden due to the severity of their wounds. Had they been healed a little more to the point of mobility, they'd take the first Avian to search for Hiro. And Yamato would gladly accompany them.

But his responsibilities were too great.

He groaned into his palms in the privacy of his office, rubbing at his eyes as well with his wrist. He was feeling more and more uneasy by the minute. He'd never thought to feel so distressed over another person. It was unlike him. This new territory of emotional boundaries baffled him. Before Polaris, before the world was ending, he would've been all for work. He wouldn't give a damn about anyone, and they'd only regard him as chief of JPs.

It was different now. He now has people who see him as Yamato, not just a young chief. His world grew outside the walls of the organization. And he had one sole person to thank for that, but that person was no where to be found. He could be anywhere, possibly dying or dead for all he knew. What would happen to his world then? Would he return to his day-to-day life of working endless nights on reports and demon attacks? Would that be all his life result into without that one person?

No. If that one person were gone, dead, then so would his world.

He scoffed at the direction his mind wandered to. "When did I become such an emotional thinker?" He muttered to himself, with no one to answer him.

* * *

Another week passed and Yamato was sure he was seeing things at the end of that week. Sure he's been losing sleep and overworking himself to the point of neglecting his health that one week. But it was funny how it only took 'a week' to do so much damage, and the end of those so called 'week's there was always a surprise. Whether it was defeating Polaris, having an outing with Ronaldo at Hiro's insistence, or even the return of a certain bunny-hood wearing teenager.

Really, Hiro had his way of saving him on the final day.

* * *

"Chief it really is not recommended to see him, especially in the condition that he's-"

"Sako. I will not take this blatant disobedience."

"And I will not take you entering this room when my patient is on the verge of death." Otome stood her ground, sizing up Yamato. She was not afraid to stand up to him for his own good. Seeing Hiro in the condition he was in... Would not be a pretty sight.

"Yanagiya. This is an order from your chief."

"Say all the shit you want! We ain't letting you through!" Hinako argued. Along with the JPs team were Hiro's close friends. They had apparently heard word of his return and saw his condition before Yamato. He didn't like that. He disliked the fact that they were shielding Hiro from him even more.

"He~y. Yeah, it really wouldn't be a good idea for you to see him." Joe tried consulting. His expression tried to mask his anxiety but he was clearly concerned. It did no good.

"Y'know, you being his lover and all." Daichi added.

At that moment, the door to the JPs emergency care center burst open to reveal Ronaldo in a panicked state. Great, just what Yamato needed. This insolent fool to intervene.

"How... How is he?" Ronaldo wheezed out, clearly warn out from running inside to check on Hiro. Jungo and Keita debriefed him on his condition, but only told him what they told Yamato. It was clear they were not going to let him in as well.

Ronaldo had an affinity for Hiro. It was unclear whether it was a crush or not, especially at his age, but there was a possibility. The others didn't want to risk Ronaldo having an emotional breakdown had he seen Hiro; Daichi himself could barely contain his tears as a childhood friend.

"... I just realized," Fumi added her input. "What about that Al Saiduq guy? Shouldn't he be butting in soon too?" Considering Alcor's fondness for Hiro, it would not surprise them anymore if he showed up.

"Couldn't he just appear in the room if he wants?" Io realized, paling a little bit at the sep...'s reaction to seeing Hiro all mangled up.

"He'd probably take it better than these two." Airi motioned towards Ronaldo and Yamato. "Freaky alien thing, remember?"

"About that..."

Yamato was upset that Alcor was considered emotionally stable enough to see Hiro, but they assumed he couldn't take it? Was it that bad? His face paled.

"Yanagiya. Who is monitoring Hiro at this moment then?"

"Didn't you hear, chief? We have Alcor keeping an eye on him. Considering..." Yamato blocked her out at that point in favour of storming away.

He knew he was acting childish, but he didn't know what to do at this point.

"I will be in my office."

And with that, he sulked away to his office.

* * *

Alcor turned his head towards the door that did a poor job concealing the commotion outside. It did not require any special abilities to tell Yamato was upset. Alcor's lips dropped into a subtle frown as he watched Hiro's dull blue eyes darken.

The bed-ridden male could not speak, let alone lift a finger. The adjoining part of his body that connected his shoulder to his neck was ripped open, his back sustained large gashes (possibly from scratches), his limbs were in distorted positions, and he was possibly psychologically damaged as well.

In summary, Hiro was bordering between life or death. Had he not have a strong will to live, there would be no chance of his survival.

"Shining one." Hiro was verbally responseless but Alcor had his attention from the way his eyes motioned towards him. "Hotsuin seems to be distressed and he appears to be growing desperate to see you." He blinked. "Kuriki appears to be in the same predicament as well."

He could not speak. There would always be a response from Hiro, be it witty, sarcastic, silly, or serious. He would always reply. But now, Hiro was silent.

Alcor pressed a hand against his mouth as he looked down at his friend. "This is too foreign for me. I apologize, shining one. I must go." He disappeared and Hiro was alone again.

He mentally sighed to himself and willed his eyes closed; maybe some sleep would do him some good from the dull ache in his body. Hopefully he'll wake up.

* * *

It was an ungodly hour of the night/morning. Due to her exhaustion and concern for her daughter, Otome retired for the night. She had several JPs personnel and Fumi stay behind to guard Hiro. However, Fumi had research to do based on the area Hiro fought at. **  
**It was simple for Yamato to get in.

But once he arrived at the door to Hiro's room, unconscious bodies were scattered on the floor of the hallway. Someone had already beat him to Hiro, and Yamato had a burning suspicion who it could have been.

The hospital door was slammed open to reveal Ronaldo leaning against Hiro's bed frame, clasping his hands between his trembling ones. He was lost in his own world, mumbling the name "Hiro" repeatedly, as if hoping that it would recover him. His voice was desperate and his shoulder shook; he was holding back tears but clearly failing.

Before Yamato could get mad, he saw a glimpse of Hiro's condition.

Everyone was not exaggerating when they said that it was not suggested that he saw him. Yamato cautiously approached Ronaldo's hunched form and placed a hand on his shoulder; in that moment, they shared a temporary existence.

Had he not have to keep up the appearance of the strong and study JPs' chief, Yamato would most likely be in Ronaldo's place. And that very thought that crossed his mind terrified him.

'_I should've left to save him. I should've neglected my work and search the world for him._' His grip on Ronaldo's shoulder tightened as he regretted every minute of the past. Of leaving Hiro to suffer such a state.

He was asleep. His sleeping form was peaceful. Almost too peaceful. Yamato's eyes widened in paranoia and panic.

Against all sense, his hand approached Hiro's shoulder with caution. Before it reached its destination, a larger, tan hand grabbed his and kept the appendage at a distance from Hiro.

"What are you doing! Do you not see his condition!" Ronaldo hissed, now facing Yamato. His eyes were watery and the area around his eyes were puffy. He choked back a sob after silently trying to get Yamato away.

Yamato was clearly offended. "Of course I do, you imbecile. Has his motionless form not alerted you that he may be dead?" He hissed back, sounding almost desperate. Almost.

Ronaldo nodded and went back to gingerly holding Hiro's hand in his. "Of course he's not dead. He wouldn't die so easily..." From the tone he used, Ronaldo sounded wishful, rather than sure. "His hand may be ice cold, but I feel a pulse. I just know it."

Before Yamato can retort and demand that Ronaldo releases Hiro 'or so help him', there was an annoying cough from the doorway. The two took a moment pause from bickering to see Fumi at the doorway with a laptop at hand.

****"It's nice to see Hiro's harem care for him so much but I'm gonna need you both to leave. I respect ya, chief, but, not only is it bad for you to stick around any longer for your's and Hiro's sake, I won't hesitate using you for an experiment alongside Ronaldo."

Among their bickering, dull blue eyes slowly opened. They wandered over to the noisier side of the room and eyes remained on a figure clad in black with unruly silver hair.

Hiro's fingers twitched, hoping to reach over to Yamato. To the best of his abilities, he attempted to call out to him.

With sharp eyes, Fumi noticed Hiro stirring awake and immediately tried to shoo Yamato and Ronaldo from the room.

Without the touch of Yamato and the bitter loneliness to shroud him, Hiro lost the will to continue living.

* * *

_A/N: This ending is rushed and it sucks and blah. _


End file.
